Many types of heat exchangers exist for transferring heat between fluid systems. For example, a heat exchanger of some type is included in almost every power generation device, ventilation system, and water system used in the developed world, and virtually every automobile, truck, boat, aircraft, or other machine having a combustion engine, a pneumatic system, a hydraulic system, or other heat generating component includes at least one heat exchanger. In some applications, multiple heat exchangers may be used to exchange heat with multiple fluids, including air and gases. For example, an engine compartment of an automobile may include one heat exchanger to cool radiator fluid, a second heat exchanger to cool transmission fluid, and a third heat exchanger to cool refrigerant associated with an air conditioner. As another example, turbo diesel engine vehicles may include heat exchangers to cool and/or heat exhaust gases for better gas mileage or generation of electric power with a separate heat exchanger for an intercooler, exhaust gas recirculator, and/or turbo-electric generator. Larger vehicles may include additional heat exchangers to cool other hydraulic fluids, compressed air, or auxiliary systems. Each separate heat exchanger requires a separate footprint that occupies the finite available space in the engine compartment, increases manufacturing, assembly, and maintenance costs, and adds to the overall weight of the vehicle. In addition, many heat exchangers have a generally accepted best location identified where this cooling and/or heating should take place based on the general design considerations and/or velocity of the air flow for heat exchange.
The traditional technology for manufacturing efficient heat exchangers involves repeated stamping, annealing, and welding of conductive blanks to form plates or envelopes with complex corrugation patterns. The stretching associated with the stamping requires thicker conductive blanks than the ideal thickness for enhanced heat transfer. In addition, the annealing often requires maintaining the conductive blanks at elevated temperatures for extended periods which may lead to unwanted oxidation of the conductive blanks. As a result, the traditional technology is time consuming, expensive, and produces a heavier than ideal heat exchanger.
More recently, superplastic forming techniques have been used to manufacture heat exchangers. Specifically, the conductive blanks may be heated and then plastically deformed to the desired shape using a combination of pressure plates, dies, and/or high pressure gases. Although the superplastic forming techniques have reduced costs and time associated with manufacturing traditional heat exchangers, an improved system and method for manufacturing multiple fluid heat exchangers would be useful.